Julian Hill (Bruce, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Kennedy for bringing the debate. I do welcome a chance to talk about migration and integration, the two core topics in the motion that you've put before the House. This matters to the work of my portfolio. I spoke in my first speech nearly 10 years ago this July extensively, though, around the role of migration and human diversity as our nation's defining characteristic and greatest strength. They are the words that I said then, and they're words that I believe now. It also matters to Australians now. The best I can say about some of your contribution is that you are reflecting some of the fears and the anxieties fuelled by misinformation and by things that we see that we don't like, some of which you've outlined, that are completely unacceptable, and I'll talk about that.

I'll say clearly at the outset that migration has been too high. Migration has been too high, and the government is bringing it down. But there is nothing more Australian than a migrant. Everyone in this country except Indigenous Australians—everyone or their ancestors came from somewhere. Since 1945, more than six million people have chosen to make a permanent life in Australia. Every region, every town, every sporting club, every suburb has been touched by generations of migrants. Migrants are our relatives, our friends, our work colleagues, our business leaders, small-business people, researchers and more.

Last year, we marked a number of anniversaries in this country. We marked the 80th anniversary of the first Department of Immigration, put in place by the Curtin Labor government to help with World War II rebuilding. We marked the 50th anniversary of the Racial Discrimination Act, the last big bit of legislation by the Whitlam Labor government, which laid the foundations for equality in this country—that everyone is equal under the law, regardless of their race or ethnicity or background, and that everyone has the right to equal participation. We marked the 50th anniversary of the contribution of large-scale Vietnamese migration to our country and the 40th anniversary of the Hawke Labor government's access and equity strategies, providing for the right of everyone to fully participate in Australian society. In years to come, we can look back on last year for the establishment of the Office for Multicultural Affairs, bringing together investment, services and policies, and a milestone that I'm really proud of: the one-millionth humanitarian migrant welcomed to our country since World War II. That was late last year.

One of the stereotypes that I cannot stand is the one that humanitarian migrants come to our country to get on welfare. It's deeply offensive. They're far more likely to start businesses and to have a crack than other Australians. In the year 2000, six of our country's then eight billionaires came to this country as humanitarian migrants and refugees.

I want to address the two key issues in the motion. The level of migration is a legitimate debate to bring, but it needs to be based in fact. There is no mass migration in this country. Even in that rabble opposite, their shadow minister for immigration admitted this in a moment of honesty. You turn on the TV and look at what's happening in much of the Americas and Europe. They suffer from mass migration. We do not. We have a tightly controlled set of borders.

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